MRC partnership responsive mode

MRC partnership responsive mode is sponsored by Medical Research Council (MRC). Funding to support new partnerships between diverse groups of researchers within the remit of Medical Research Council (MRC).

Funding opportunity: MRC: partnership Medical Research Council (MRC) 6 May 2025 9:00am UK time 4 September 2025 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 8 September 2025 - see all updates Apply for funding to support new partnerships between diverse groups of researchers within the remit of Medical Research Council (MRC). You must be employed by a research organisation eligible to apply for MRC funding.

The grant will allow you to: establish new, high-value collaborative activities or capabilities add value to high-quality scientific programmes that are already supported by grants from MRC and other funders Funding is available for between one and five years. You must complete the pre-application stage and be invited to the full stage.

You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful pre-application. See ‘How to apply’ for more information. To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation.

Check if your organisation is eligible .

To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must: be aiming to create a novel partnership between a diverse group of researchers plan to establish new, high-value collaborative activities or capabilities that add value to high-quality research programmes already supported by MRC or other funders show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work, or contribute to the academic leadership of the partnership have completed the pre-application stage and been invited to the full application stage You must focus your application within the research area of: molecular and cellular medicine neurosciences and mental health population and systems medicine For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application the research organisation is confirming, if it is successful: contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project all necessary support for the project and the applicants will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers Who is not eligible to apply You are not eligible to apply for a partnership grant if you want funding for a research project.

You should instead consider a research grant or programme grant. If you are based at an MRC institute, you are not eligible to apply for a partnership grant as the project lead. You can apply in any other role such as project co-lead.

You are also not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity as a project lead if you are based at an international research organisation. This does not include project leads from MRC Unit The Gambia or MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

International researchers As MRC is a lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers, can apply as project co-lead (international). Project co-leads (international) make a major intellectual contribution to the design or conduct of the project. Their contribution and added value to the research should be clearly explained and justified in the application, see ‘Applicant and team capability to deliver’.

Read the UKRI project co-lead (international) eligibility for more details. Please contact us if you are uncertain about eligibility. You should include all other international collaborators as project partners.

Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances.

This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

We are looking to fund new partnerships between diverse groups of researchers in: molecular and cellular medicine neurosciences and mental health population and systems medicine We want to support new, high-value collaborative activities or capabilities that add value to high-quality research programmes that are already supported by MRC or other funders. We fund partnerships working to transform our understanding of human health.

Partnership grants are expected to support research areas in the MRC remit, although research itself is not supported through this route. The Infections and Immunity Board (IIB) aims to develop scientific knowledge that extends our understanding of human infectious disease and the role of the immune system in inflammation, immune-mediated disease, and cancer.

This includes research into human pathogens and their mechanisms of infection, diseases of the human immune system, and conditions where altered immune regulation leads to pathology. The board seeks to support a diverse portfolio of research that is relevant to the UK and the wider world and spans the full remit of the board, addressing established questions and areas while catalysing investigation of emergent opportunities.

We are looking to fund partnerships in areas including, but not limited to: immune-mediated disease and multimorbidity immunology and inflammation epidemiology and transmission biomarkers and diagnostics Molecular and cellular medicine The Molecular and Cellular Medicine Board (MCMB) funds research into basic biological mechanisms or technologies relevant to human health and disease.

We aim to increase understanding of: the structure and function of molecules and complexes the cellular environment during development and mature states how biological systems respond to challenges (for example, drugs and toxins) and diseases We lead MRC’s investments in cancer, from fundamental discovery science to epidemiology, experimental medicine and early translation.

Research focused on specific organ systems or diseases (with the exception of cancer and haematology) is normally supported through our other research boards.

We are looking to fund partnerships in areas including, but not limited to: structural biology and biophysics molecular and functional genetics, epigenetics, genomics developmental and stem cell biology (excluding neurobiology) molecular haematology development of new tools and technologies relevant to MCMB remit, such as nanotechnology, chemical biology and synthetic biology medical bioinformatics, including biostatistics, computational biology and systems biology toxicology and adverse health effects of environmental exposures Neurosciences and mental health The Neurosciences and Mental Health Board aims to transform our understanding of the physiology and behaviour of the human nervous system throughout the life course in health and in illness, as well as how to treat and prevent disorders of the brain.

The research we support includes the interactions between the nervous system and other parts of the body, the brain, mental health and physical health. We are also interested in how episodes throughout life impact on lifelong mental and neurological health.

We are looking to fund partnerships in areas including, but not limited to: clinical neurology and neuroinflammation addictions and substance misuse behavioural and learning disorders including autism cognitive and behavioural neuroscience and cognitive systems sensory neuroscience including vision and hearing neurobiology and neurophysiology underpinning support, such as neuroimaging technology, brain banking and neuroinformatics Population and systems medicine The Population and Systems Medicine Board (PSMB) funds research to unlock the complexity of human health and disease across the life course.

Our remit includes population health and the impact of environmental factors including the social environment on health outcomes. PSMB supports research focused on the physiology and pathophysiology of all the major organs and systems, with the exception of the brain and the immune system which are normally supported through our other research boards.

We are looking to fund partnerships in areas including, but not limited to: renal medicine and liver function endocrinology and reproductive health maternal health and the early origins of health and disease nutrition, metabolic regulation, diabetes and obesity trauma, acute medicine and surgery inflammation in relation to disease processes and the resolution of the inflammatory response lifestyle, socio-economic and behavioural impacts on health population and disease related cohorts Collaborative activities can include: networking and partnership activities: establishing multidisciplinary collaborative partnerships or consortia, fostering or enabling a national or international strategy in an area, enabling knowledge sharing or creation across organisations infrastructure support for establishing a unique shared resource or helping to exploit it, for example, staff, systems, equipment, seminars and workshops.

This could include networking activities, including outreach work and travel, with a defined output platform activities such as specialist data and software platforms or resources training, career development and capacity building in strategically important areas funds to support small scale, pump-priming projects may be included but specific research questions should not be the focus of the partnership.

Any research projects should be interdisciplinary, high risk or gain projects which will demonstrate the novel capability of a new partnership Typically, successful partnership applications include a combination of these components. Applications requesting support only for networking activities are not suitable and will be rejected. Please see our case studies for examples of partnership grants and why they were funded by MRC.

Find out more about our areas of investment, which include: molecular and cellular medicine neurosciences and mental health population and systems medicine We encourage you to contact us first to discuss your application, especially if you believe your research may cross MRC or research council interests. If your application fits another research board remit better, we may decide to transfer it there to be assessed.

We will fund partnerships lasting from one to five years. Contact us for advice if you would like to apply for a short or long-duration project. Projects should start one to six months after the funding decision date.

Partnerships are expected to reach maturity by the end of the grant, we will not consider requests for renewals or follow-on activities. There is no limit to the funding you can apply for. Resource requests will vary between partnerships, so you are strongly advised to discuss this with the relevant programme manager before applying.

Your application must be for an amount that: is appropriate to the project you can justify in order to deliver the objectives of the proposed research We will fund 80% of the full economic cost and 100% of permitted exceptions. Find out more about full economic costing .

You can request funding for costs such as: a contribution to the salary of the project lead and a small number of co-leads contributing to academic leadership of the partnership support for technical staff equipment or infrastructure that is key to the aims of the partnership or provides a platform for activities associated with the partnership data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs estates and indirect costs public partnerships and related activities, including payments to public contributors You can also request costs for work to be undertaken at international organisations by international project co-leads.

We will fund 100% of the eligible costs. The total of such costs requested for international applicants from high-income countries (those not on the OECD DAC List of ODA Recipients ), India and China must not exceed 30% of the total resources requested. There is no cap on costs requested for international applicants from DAC list countries.

For more information on international costs and what we will and will not fund see costs we fund and the Collaborate with Researchers in Norway guidance .

resources for research, such as research and innovation associate positions unless to support small scale pump-priming projects contributions to the salary of co-leads unless critical to academic leadership of the partnership research involving randomised trials of clinical treatments costs for PhD studentships funding to use as a ‘bridge’ between grants You may include team project partners that will support your research project through cash or in-kind contributions, such as: recruitment of people, such as research participants providing samples, such as human tissue, for the project Each project partner must provide a statement of support.

If your application involves industry partners, they must provide additional information if the relationship falls within the industry collaboration framework . Find out more about subcontractors and dual roles . Who cannot be included as a team project partner Any individual included in your application core team cannot also be a project partner.

Any organisation that employs a member of the application core team cannot be a project partner organisation, this includes other departments within the same organisation. If you are collaborating with someone in your organisation, consider including them in the core team as project co-lead, or specialist. They cannot be a project partner.

Supporting skills and talent We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment . Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. Further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support , can be found on UKRI’s website.

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. You must contact us before you apply to check if your application is suitable.

You can do this at any time, and we encourage you to contact us as early as possible. The latest we will consider a pre-application for this opportunity is 7 July 2025. When you contact us attach a brief description of your application.

The document may be up to four pages, including two pages outlining the proposed partnership, one page for the track record of your team and up to one page of references.

The document should include: the title of the potential partnership the project lead and co-leads and their organisations your collaborators (if known at this stage) an estimate of the likely cost to MRC, including staff and equipment You should explain the aims of the partnership, including: why the partnership is important the nature of the partnership and its activities how these activities align with the partnership grant scope You should explain your and your team’s track record and show you have the potential to successfully manage and deliver the partnership, based on your research track record, outputs and funding history.

Send your pre-application to the relevant MRC board team, see the ‘Contact details’ section for more information. The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application. Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

If the lead research organisation is an NHS organisation, check it is available in the Funding Service. You are encouraged to check this early as there may be additional steps for the organisation to be set up before you can apply. Four grant types are available, research , new investigator , programme and partnership .

Before you select ‘Start application’, check you are applying for the appropriate grant type. Applications submitted to the incorrect grant type will be rejected. Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

Confirm you are the project lead. Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account.

This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers.

If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.

Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must: provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit) insert each new image onto a new line use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words.

The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include: sentences or paragraphs of text excessive quantities of images A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column. Watch our research office webinars about the Funding Service .

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application. Hyperlinks can be used in reference information.

When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that: references are easily identifiable by the assessors references are formatted as appropriate to your research persistent identifiers are used where possible General use of hyperlinks Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information.

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment . MRC must receive your application by 4 September 2025 at 4:00pm UK time. You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines. Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

MRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications. We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice .

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email the relevant MRC team: Infections and immunity board: iib@mrc. ukri. org Molecular and cellular medicine board: mcmb@mrc.

ukri. org Neurosciences and mental health board: nmhb@mrc. ukri.

org Population and systems medicine board: psmb@mrc. ukri. org Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include: individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave) additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection the application is an invited resubmission For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

MRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at board and panel outcomes . If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information.

Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: project co-lead (UK) (PcL) project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) professional enabling staff research and innovation associate Only list one individual as project lead.

If you include more than one project lead your application will fail at the checking stage. UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications . Which MRC research board is most relevant to your application? Select one MRC research board your application most closely aligns to.

Copy one acronym corresponding to your selected board and paste into the text box: Infections and Immunity Board (IIB) Molecular and Cellular Medicine Board (MCMB) Neuroscience and Mental Health Board (NMHB) Population and Systems Medicine Board (PSMB) This is for administrative purposes to help with the initial application processing.

We will check your choice and make a final decision on which board will lead the assessment of your application. Select the primary MRC research area your application most closely aligns to. In the text box, copy the number corresponding to your selected area: Infections and immunity board 1.

bacterial disease and host response to bacterial pathogens 2. fungal disease and host response to fungal pathogens 3. parasitic disease and host response to parasitic pathogens 4.

viral disease and host response to viral pathogens 5. immune disease and immunology Molecular and cellular medicine board 10. developmental biology 11.

environment and health 12. genetics and genomics 13. advanced therapies and regenerative medicine Neuroscience and mental health board 18.

neuronal cell biology and signalling 19. cognition and higher functions 20. developmental neurobiology 21.

mental health and addiction 22. neurology and neurodegeneration 23. neurophysiology of systems 24.

pain, sleep and fatigue 26. clinical neurology and imaging 27. cognitive and behavioural neuroscience Population and systems medicine board 28.

cardiovascular medicine 30. dentistry and orofacial medicine 34. metabolism and metabolic disease 39.

longitudinal population studies 41. maternal health including pregnancy and childbirth 42. renal function and disease 44.

hepatic function and disease 45. paediatrics and child health 50. integrated understanding of human physiology and disease 51.

motor neurone disease 52. myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome This is for administrative purposes to help with the initial application processing. We will check your choice and make a final decision on which board will lead the assessment of your application.

Why does your proposed work need partnership type funding? What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your proposed work is a novel partnership and why it needs funding for collaborative activities or capabilities.

Within this section we also expect you to: confirm you have completed the mandatory pre-application stage for this funding opportunity name the MRC programme manager who agreed that this application could be submitted What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the fields or areas has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area is timely given current trends, context, and needs impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment Within the Vision section we also expect you to: identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be identify potential improvements in human or population health, whether through contributing to relieving disease or disability burden, improving quality of life or providing benefit to the health service or health-related industry explain why establishing a partnership is necessary in this area and how it will add value to the current research landscape References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how you have designed your approach so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable) summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable) will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work Within the Approach section we also expect you to: demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the project provide a project plan including milestones and timelines, in the form of an embedded Gantt chart or similar explain how the partnership will be planned and managed explain how the partnership will enable researchers to work together, network and build capability in a strategic area demonstrate how the partnership will benefit the wider research community if applicable, explain how partnership services, equipment or infrastructure will be accessed by the wider research community outline future plans for sustaining the partnership beyond MRC funding, or for funding research which may develop from the partnership explain and justify the inclusion of public partnerships (if applicable) and the added value these offer References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Data management and sharing How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide a data management plan which should clearly detail how you will comply with MRC’s published data management and sharing policies , which includes detailed guidance notes. Provide your response in the text box following the headings in the MRC data management plan template . You are not required to upload the document to your application.

The length of your plan will vary depending on the type of study being undertaken: population cohorts; longitudinal studies; genetic, omics and imaging data; biobanks, and other collections that are potentially a rich resource for the wider research community: maximum of 1,500 words all other research, less complex, the plan may be as short as 500 words Applicant and team capability to deliver Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have: the relevant experience ( appropriate to career stage ) to deliver the proposed work the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI .

You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit, including public partnerships Provide any further details relevant to your application.

This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). Complete this as a narrative.

Do not format it like a CV. References may be included within this section. The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.

Add details about any project partners contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service. A project partner is a collaborating person or organisation who will have an integral role in your proposed research.

Their involvement may include direct (cash) and or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time, use of facilities or recruitment of research participants. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in